Author Archives: Leslie Morris

If you’re still deciding exactly what to serve for Christmas or even a New Year’s eve soiree, this is a good read for you. It’s from one of my favorite foodie food blogs, Bay Area Bites. 

Perhaps you’re like this Bay Area Bites post author, who writes:

A few caveats: I don’t eat meat, my dad hews to a low-cholesterol diet, my sister-in-law avoids gluten. My brother is generally happy with most things, as long as the meal involves a lot of vegetables and perhaps lamb. My mom and my husband have very few food aversions. Fortunately, despite our specific needs, we are a fairly easygoing bunch as long as the white wine is cold and there’s some sort of decadent dessert following dinner.

Still, it requires some forethought. To that end, the vegetarian entree is often marinated and sauteed portobello mushroom “steaks,” or a rich and creamy risotto. Potatoes may be roasted with olive oil instead of mashed with butter in a nod to a healthier lifestyle. And with just a little bit of extra effort, it’s possible to eliminate gluten altogether.

There are some great ideas and recipes in here. Enjoy!

By Laura (The Gluten-Free Traveller)

Have you ever tried raw chocolate? It’s quite the treat if you’re a fan of rich, dark chocolate.

Righteously Raw, by Earth Source Organics has created gourmet organic raw chocolate bars, uniquely flavored by exotic ingredients such as Acai, Goji and Lucama.

Why raw? According to these chocolate makers, it’s the way chocolate ought to be. “Nutritional and enzymatic structures that make ingredients in our bars so powerful in their raw state would be damaged by the heat if cooked, making it difficult or even impossible, for our bodies to absorb the benefits at their full potential.”

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By Bridget

In terms of gluten-free eating, I have always learned that it’s an all-or-nothing approach. You must cut gluten completely (meaning 100%) out of your diet to ensure that your system is working properly.

Recently, however, I read an article about gluten-free legislative action being taken in the U.K. over gluten-free labeling. Under their legislation, foods can be labeled as “gluten-free” only if they contain less than 20 mg of gluten per kg of the product. This is common practice in most food manufacturing as a safe tolerable limit for indirect and unintentional food additives. When eating processed foods, it is common practice (under our own FDA guidelines) to accept that substances can accidentally get into foods during processing, production, packaging, and storage. As such, the FDA defines minimum permissible quantities of such unintended substances.

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By Laura (The Gluten-Free Traveller)

Good gluten-free English Muffins aren’t too commonly found, so it was exciting to discover that Joan’s Gluten-Free Great Bakes make delicious English Muffins, which are not only gluten-free but also dairy, egg and soy free! Joan’s English Muffins come ready to be toasted in a package of four and taste great as they are or topped with a little butter and jam or honey. Pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy!

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By Emily

One of the good things about having celiac disease is the community that exists to help guide you along your decisions — websites, celiac support groups, healthcare professionals, even dedicated celiac centers.

However, that community can also be one of the tough things about having celiac disease. Just as there are myriad different presentations of the disease — not to mention the many other medical reasons for a gluten-free diet — there are many different opinions about how best to treat it. And, especially when it comes to the internet, it can be tough to tell A) whether the page you’re reading contains up to date information and B) whether its authors have an agenda aside from your health.

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By Laura (The Gluten-Free Traveller)

Is a cure for celiac disease on the horizon? The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center believes so and their goal is to find it by 2026.

For this goal to be met would mean everything to 1 in 100 Americans suffering from celiac disease but making it happen will be challenging.

“this goal requires coordinated effort, intensive research, and adequate funding.”

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By Bridget

Photo credit: happyherbivore.com

Gluten-free baking can be tricky. Between funky after tastes and too crumbly textures, there have certainly been times where I just want to throw in the towel and give up baked goods altogether.

Recently, however, I discovered how effective starch alternatives can be! Sneaking vegetables, beans, and fruits into baked goods has been a popular trend lately, especially among the healthy eating community. Although I was initially skeptical, I finally decided to do a baking experiment of my own, using black beans as a substitute for flour in brownies – and they were a success!

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By Laura (The Gluten-Free Traveller)

Justin’s is a fantastic company. They make a whole bunch of delicious nut butters and all of them are gluten and dairy free. What’s even better, for those of us who are concerned about cross contamination, all of their nut butters are certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization.

As well as classic peanut and almond butters, Justin’s also does some interesting and delightfully delicious flavors such as Maple Almond, Chocolate Hazelnut, Honey Peanut, Chocolate Almond and Honey Almond. As with all amazing nut butters, these are great devoured straight from the jar, spread on your favorite gluten free bread or cracker or mixed in to give your hot cereal a nutty protein kick!

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By Emily

If there were such a thing as non-toxic wheat, what would it look (and taste) like? According to a recent article in the LA Times, researchers are trying to find out.

The article covers research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in which scientists attempted to breed gluten-free wheat plants. The research was conducted by scientists from the Pacific Northwest, as well as from China and Germany.

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By Laura (The Gluten-Free Traveller)

Photo credit: http://littlewoolmaus.com

You wouldn’t want your gluten-free kids playing with loaves of whole wheat bread so you probably don’t want them playing with Play-Doh either. Play-Doh is a lot of fun but unfortunately it and many of the other dough and clay products out there are made with flour and therefore aren’t suitable for kids, or clay loving adults, with a gluten allergy or celiac disease.

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